Mostly silent spy-thriller with art reminiscent of Frank Miller's Sin City. It's mostly black and white except for splashes of red when blood spills or lipstick has been applied. Very stylish, but sometimes hard to follow due to the abstract nature of some panels. Worth a look for fans of action, just don't expect to spend much time reading.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel, primarily for the art. Not that the story is not good, but it is a pretty familiar one by now - older spy who everyone is trying to kill, but amazingly survives and gets revenge (trust me, that's not a spoiler). But the art is what really makes it stand out. There is an obvious Frank Miller influence here, in a very good way. And the fact that this was first published as a "silent" comic is reflected in the images - they definitely tell a story on their own. It's all very, well, graphic and quite dramatic in just black, white and red. The book is worth a look for the stylized imagery alone.

The Black Kaiser is an invincible hit man who somebody wants dead. That is about as deep as he story ever gets, and the artwork, when it is not openly referencing Frank Miller’s Sin City or Eduardo Risso’s 100 Bullets, is too weirdly composed to actually make sense of. There is something good buried in here, but you really have to look for it.

Should have remained wordless

Polar: Came From The Cold jumps right into the action and doesn't let up until the very end. In an unusual form factor for a graphic novel, the stark images leap off the page. It's a visceral and satisfying read.

An older man and a woman are in a snowbound cabin as assassins creep up on him. We learn that he is a former agent known as Black Kaiser. We also learn pretty early on that he is not easy to kill. But his former employers at the Damocles Agency are determined and relentless. Black Kaiser is kidnapped and tortured at one point. If he gets away is for you to find out.

The art by Victor Santos is striking. It's reminiscent of Frank Miller's Sin City work. Blocky, abstract, minimal color. Some of the full page works are genius. The story is not new, but serves as a vehicle here to deliver great art. That's not a bad tradeoff in my opinion.

I was given a copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to read this striking and artistic graphic novel.

I watched the movie and something about it appealed to me. I didn’t really like the movie a lot but I felt like there was some potential.
So when I learned that it was based on a graphic novel, I immediately found it and got to reading it.
Meh. I didn’t find anything interesting. Rip me.
The black, white, orange colouring seems ingenious in the start but annoying by the end. Maybe I’m just not aesthetic enough

pretty dope

Very generic story, but my God the art does a great job conveying the action.